Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §50.17.20.pr

Presumption in Favor of Liberty in Cases of Doubt

Passage 9080 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This fragment states the legal principle that whenever the interpretation regarding liberty (manumission) is doubtful, the decision must always be rendered in favor of liberty.

[POMPONIUS libro septimo ad Sabinum. ] §50.17.20.prQuotiens dubia interpretatio libertatis est, secundum libertatem respondendum erit.
[POMPONIUS, in his seventh book on Sabinus.] Whenever the interpretation of liberty is doubtful, the opinion must be rendered in favor of liberty.

Notes

  1. §50.17.20.prlibertatis — Genitive of the noun libertas (liberty, manumission). It functions as an objective genitive modifying interpretatio, meaning "interpretation regarding liberty."
  2. §50.17.20.prsecundum libertatem — The preposition secundum (according to) with the accusative. In this context, "according to liberty" implies rendering a decision that favors the preservation or granting of freedom, embodying the legal maxim favor libertatis.
  3. §50.17.20.prrespondendum erit — An impersonal passive construction using the gerundive of respondere (to answer, to give an opinion). It indicates that a formal legal opinion (responsum) must be rendered by the jurist in response to a query.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §50.17.20.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:50.17.20.pr

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